Friday, September 16, 2011

We have had a really cool Summer and early Fall here in San Diego. As I write this we are covered in clouds and the temps are at least 20 degrees cooler than average. In fact today we set the record low-high, if that makes sense. With all of this cool weather, I have started to crave Fall seasonals. I will be brewing an Oktoberfest with the hopes that it will be ready to drink by Halloween, or worst case scenario by Thanksgiving. Last year I brewed the same beer but my starter was not large enough and the beer never fully fermented. My version is on the darker side for the style with large amounts of Dark Munich malt. I really like added malt richness in a beer like an Oktoberfest.

In the hopes that my beer will ferment all the way out, I am using two packs of dry lager yeast that I will rehydrate before pitching. My lagers are still not anywhere near the quality of my ales, so I will keep practicing. Most of this comes from not doing decoction mashes (I'm not doing these yet), and from under-attenuation.